"Haaa..."

As we descend from the first chartered Magivore, I sigh loudly while feeling the biting frost on my slightly tingling skin. Inhaling softly, I notice how dry and thin the air is in this region, and from a distance, I even detect snow-capped mountains.

There isn’t any snow around, however, and in fact, one can consider this place to be somewhat reminiscent of a desert.

Yet it is chilly.

I look around me and notice everyone present experiencing the same feeling of coldness, so this can’t simply be my imagination.

"Must be our attire. It’s inappropriate for this place," I speak to the rest, sighing deeply while staring at the driver and his Stormwing Drake.

None of us has been here before, so he should have at least warned us.

Especially with the kind of fee he charged!

A Stormwing Drake is a Cadre 3 Magivore, and it is one of the few Air Travel Magivores that are allowed commercial permits for travel. This is because they’re rather conspicuous and do not have a lot of transport capacity.

It can only lift about 1.5 to 2 tonnes of weight, but its lowest speed is already five times that of a horse, achieving 1,000 kilometers in a single day.

Transportation costs about 1,000 Clips per day to charter this Magivore, and since we used it to traverse about 10,000 kilometers, it cost about 8,000 Ecliptics. Of course, we didn’t spend eight days on the trip, since I urged the rider to hurry up his Magivore.

The entire journey took less than five days.

We’ve already covered one-fifth of the distance at this point.

Going by this pace, we should be able to reach Dustinville within the month.

Naturally, there are faster forms of transportation, but most of them are either reserved for the highest tier of Nobility or Royals.

I could have actually coerced the Royal Family of the Randalorion Kingdom to come through for me in terms of transportation. The Sky Lantern Ray, which is one of the most preferred for Air Travel among Cadre 3 Magivores, is in the exclusive possession of the Royal Family and Duke Households.

However, these Magivores cannot travel very far without resting.

They also cannot endure adverse environments, and after a certain degree of travel, they will simply rest. As such, these Magivores are not suitable for the kind of long-distance travel that I wish to embark on with my friends.

Back to the topic at hand, though, the Stormwing Drake is actually a pretty decent choice.

It can even generate localized storms to clear up any hostile forces in the air, and it isn’t greatly impeded by adverse weather conditions.

Our trip was rather smooth as a result, at least until we landed and were met with such extreme temperatures. We didn’t realize how terrible the weather truly was since the vessel we were inside, which was strapped around the belly of the Magivore, had considerable warmth.

I now realize that this must have been the effect of a certain armament, or simply burned coal.

’Sigh...’

I am still of the opinion that the driver should have warned us of the situation outside.

Now that I look at him, he’s actually wearing a fur coat.

Compared to me, who has a dark, professional three-piece suit consisting of a button-down shirt, a vest with a decorative chain, and well-tailored trousers, he is certainly dressed for the occasion.

I now have to wonder if my outfit is unsuitable.

After all, besides my base attire, I am adorned with a silver necklace, a slightly vintage watch, as well as an expensive leather belt. The latter was one of the gifts at my last birthday party, and it has grown on me. There’s also, of course, the eyepatch covering my left eye.

Stuck in the tight grip of my right arm is my black leather briefcase.

As for my other luggage, the driver and the single staff member he employed are helping us offload it.

Thankfully, this is a rather populated area, with quite a few workers around. With only a few Ecliptics, I can hire some people to help us transport our properties to the nearest inn.

I look around at my comrades and I notice that their outfits are either similar to mine or more casual. Klein appears even more fancy with his casual look, while Ciel and Seth are a lot more conservative.

Regardless, none of us are dressed for the present climate.

This makes me frown at the rider once again.

Then—

’Isn’t that... Direwolf Pelt?’ My exposed eye widens in recognition as I recognize the thick and dark coat he has on his body.

Quickly glancing at Ciel, I observe her reaction.

’Eh? She doesn’t appear especially moved. I expected her to be a little more upset since Direwolves are the guardians of her Vey’lithar Sanctuary....’

Setting aside my thoughts, I pay the rider the remaining fee owed for our travel.

When chartering a Magivore to travel, a deposit fee of about 30–50 percent is often required before the journey begins. This man specifically requested a 35 percent deposit fee, which I found to be fair.

The ride was also fairly safe, with very little trouble, so even though I’m upset at his indiscretion, there’s no need to deprive him of his fair wage.

Once payment is made, the man leaves with his Magivore, and we call on already nearby men to assist us with our luggage. I assume, since these people were already so close when we called, that they would have offered to help us out—for a fee, of course—even if we hadn’t asked.

They were likely waiting for the Magivore and its rider to leave before doing anything.

Indeed... being a Magivore Rider is quite an interesting position.

If one can handle the cost of taking care of a Magivore, as well as maneuver around all the complex regulations involved in commercial Magivore travel, it is quite a lucrative job.

For one, Magivore riders don’t have to worry about customers not paying the balance.

After all, Magivores themselves are dangerous creatures.

Who would want to offend someone controlling such a terrifying beast?

That’s why, even though the rider must have suspected that I was dissatisfied with his service, he still didn’t hesitate to collect his fees. He must have figured that I wouldn’t be able to cheat him out of his earnings, since he has a Cadre 3 Magivore under his control.

If only he knew... that among his passengers are three Leviathans—two of whom can control his Magivore even better than he can.

Hehe...

I’m suspecting Ciel had such an idea, but she must have changed her mind.

Druid Arts and many training techniques are used to tame Magivores so that they are obedient to their Masters. Although there are many Magivores that remain untamed, humanity has come a long way in actually harnessing this dangerous power of nature to our advantage.

Such a thing is worthy of praise.

Of course, there are certain methods that far exceed commercial Magivore travel in terms of speed and power.

Leviathan methods, in particular, are more effective.

My Floating Horse Construct can traverse about 120 meters per second at its top speed.

If I travel for an entire day with this Magivore, I can reach a maximum of over 10,000 kilometers.

In essence, within five or so days, I would have reached Dustinville.

This is the power of a Leviathan!

Unfortunately, the Floating Horse Construct can’t be used for such an extended period of time. It can only be activated by my Frontflow, and its activated state lasts for only an hour.

This naturally comes with its own fair share of issues.

Regardless, there are bound to be other methods that even exceed the Floating Horse Construct.

I even experienced one myself.

The Flying Bug Construct is even faster, with a far longer activation period.

’Compared to Magivores, those kinds of armaments are my most preferred methods of travel. It’s unfortunate that I only have one Floating Horse Construct. It’s also affiliated with the Ouroboros Sect, so it’s not like I can purchase even more.’ I sigh in deep regret, staring at my comrades with a wry smile.

We simply have no choice but to keep relying on chartering Magivores for our travels.

.....

Thanks to the guidance of the residents, we found a very comfortable inn within a few hours.

By the time we fully settle in our respective rooms, it’s already dusk.

Thankfully, the rooms we were provided have a proper heating system, which allows all the numb parts of my body to finally experience true freedom.

How pleasurable...

As I lay down on my bed, smiling like an idiot, I consider how fascinating this is.

I am actually thousands of kilometers away from my Kingdom!

I have never been this far before!

This is crazy! 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

I never left the Randalorion Kingdom in my last life, and even in this life, the furthest I have gone is Sarvosia, which is a neighboring Kingdom.

Now, I am several thousand kilometers from even Sarvosia!

Impressive!

’But this is only the beginning...’ I sigh deeply while considering my plans moving forward.

Currently, I still have over 17 million Ecliptics.

Most of these funds are in the bank, but I have about one hundred thousand in cash, just in case anything unexpected surfaces.

The cost of transportation for the rest of the journey shouldn’t exceed 50,000 Clips.

This is simple math.

The Stormwing Drake is actually the most expensive commercial Cadre 3 Magivore available for transportation in the surrounding area. This is because of its nature as an air-travel Magivore, something that is extremely rare and regulated on a normal basis.

The only Air-Travel Magivores that can freely exist commercially are small types which are only useful for deliveries and mail.

Magivores that can carry a lot of people through long distances are extremely scarce and regulated. This is because the governing body will want to hoard them for its uses. As such, Royal Families and the highest Nobility will ensure they aren’t available for public use, which is why Magivores like the Stormwing Drake are quite the glaring exception.

As for why the Royal Family and Nobles don’t try to limit such a creature, it has to do with the Mystic Magivore’s nature.

It enjoys drifting through the air and despises being restricted.

As a result, if it were to be imprisoned by these forces, who wouldn’t use Magivore travel that regularly, it would become rather erratic and would rebel against all means of control. It would naturally seek to run away, and if such attempts are stopped, it would ultimately grow depressed and die prematurely.

This is very contrary to the Sky Lantern Ray, which is naturally lazy and prefers being pampered.

As a result of these factors, the best way to properly utilize the Stormwing Drake is by letting it roam freely as a rare commercial air-type Magivore. Since the governing body will obtain a great deal of profit from this venture, it might as well allow such a thing rather than stubbornly keeping such a beast grounded.

Of course, if I were to choose... I’d prefer using a Cadre 4 Magivore to reach my destination.

Not only would it be faster, but the journey would be relatively safer.

A Cadre 3 Magivore costs about 500 to 1,000 Ecliptics per day to rent. Many can travel close to or even more than 1,000 kilometers in a single day.

But this is incomparable to a Cadre 4 Magivore, which can easily traverse the same distance at twice the speed. A Thunderwing Roc can travel over 2,000 kilometers in a single day, and this is its base and average speed.

By augmenting itself, or using its Special Trait, it can even become faster.

Naturally, it costs even more.

If I used a Cadre 4 Magivore, I would have arrived here in only two days, but I would have surely spent at least 20,000 Clips.

This is just an estimate, because there is no way for me to actually confirm the cost.

Why?

Because Cadre 4 Magivores are not merely transport creatures; they are considered strategic assets by Kingdoms.

A single Cadre 4 aerial Magivore can move a small squad from one end of a Kingdom to another in hours. A Cadre 4 sea Magivore can anchor an entire naval blockade.

Their special abilities are battlefield-relevant as well as logistical, which is why their ownership is restricted to High Noble houses and a Kingdom’s Royal Family in most jurisdictions.

Private acquisition of a Cadre 3 Magivore by a common merchant would invite immediate scrutiny and political pressure, not to mention a Cadre 4. Such a creature would be considered a national treasure, and cases of taming one are even rare to begin with.

Even the Randalorion Kingdom only has Cadre 3 Magivores serving the Royal Family.

There isn’t a single Cadre 4.

I imagine this to be the case for most Mid-sized Kingdoms.

Only Great Kingdoms like Dustinville or Shamahk could ever possibly accommodate Cadre 4 Magivores and utilize them for transportation.

As for Cadre 5 Magivores... forget it.

Unless one is a Leviathan, there is simply no conceivable reason to have such a beast as a transport tool or military asset.

After all, Cadre 5 Magivores exist at the pinnacle of human limits.

A single one has the potential of wiping out an entire Kingdom, and it requires the combined effort of its strongest line of defense to stand a chance.

Why would such a creature be used for transportation, no matter how valuable the cargo is?

Oh well...

If I factor in costs alone, I have already spent 8,000 of the 100,000 Clips I brought along with me.

I’ll set aside 32,000 more Ecliptics for the journey.

That’s a total of 40,000 Clips already gone.

Remaining: 60,000 Clips.

If I calculate feeding, renting an inn, and all the other expenses involved, it shouldn’t pass 1,000 Clips. I have to consider the toll fees, visas, and all the other expenses required once we get into Dustinville. Thankfully, Regulus has already given me a breakdown, and everything should not exceed 10,000 Ecliptics.

No... it should be lower, actually.

All in all, I should have 50,000 Ecliptics for the rest of the journey. I could use that amount to temporarily rent a place for everyone to stay while Regulus and I sort out my school life.

He did suggest staying with his family, but I don’t think we’ve reached such a level yet.

Especially since I am with five other people.

Seth and I will be attending the University, while Klein has a deep interest in getting a teaching job at the University. Since he is a Grand Scholar, I don’t imagine that he will encounter much difficulty in this regard.

This leaves Ciel, Leon, and Uncle Damon.

My plan is for them to acclimate to this new environment and seek out opportunities for me.

Places I can invest in, for starters.

I also plan to ask Regulus, but it’s not a bad thing to do my own independent research.

17 million Ecliptics is a lot of money.

I should look for a place to properly invest it so that I’ll at least have some measure of security.

.....

A few weeks later...

Today’s date is the 29th of December, which is—believe it or not—also a Saturday.

How coincidental is it that we departed from the Randalorion Kingdom on a Saturday and we have now arrived at Dustinville at precisely the same time?

Fascinating, is it not?

That aside, the enormous gates and incredible infrastructure are enough to blow a man away.

Once we can fully process our visas and pay the appropriate fees for all manner of things, we are finally granted access into the land I have only heard of in both my lives.

We finally step into Dustinville!

Where do I even start?

So, in order to properly understand this land and what we need to do, everyone has agreed to get a tour guide to take us around the Frontier City, Kamala. It is a bustling metropolis filled with at least dozens of millions of people, with a sheer size which I cannot begin to comprehend.

This is where most people coming from the western areas arrive when entering Dustinville for the first time.

There are naturally other cities like these in other areas of Dustinville.

We just so happened to step into this one.

Regulus and I agreed that we should meet in the Academy City, which means I’ll have to send him a message once we arrive. The goal is to first have a one-week private tour of Kamala before entering a Temporal Tunnel that leads straight to Bawwal.

This is indeed one of the perks of being in a Great Kingdom!

....

"Many of you already know this, but the Great Kingdom of Dustinville is a Large-sized Kingdom to the Northwest in the Eariel Continent. It is primarily occupied by Nowe’arns, but also home to a decent amount of Syl’vaens and a small group of Thal’marians."

Our guide says as she begins the tour.